In a surprising turn of events, it was announced on Thursday that Tony Stewart’s Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) will not be running in 2024. With the management quoting “market factors” as a reason behind the temporary hold on things, many have come forward to support Stewart and the racing series toward a quick and stronger return. One of the voices that stands out is that of former racer Kenny Wallace.
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Wallace previously ran in the SRX and was notably a part of the 2023 finale grid at the Lucas Oil Speed in Wheatland. He said, “My experience with Don Hawk and everyone at SRX was 110%. Had the time of my life. Not everything is a home run as we go into 2024. Money and sponsors are hard to come by. As you know, they wrecked the hell out of those SRX cars. Always having to repair them.”
He went on to send a personal note to Hawk, Chief Executive Officer at SRX, and the others who helped him during the 2023 finale at Wheatland. In his words, “Until next time, let’s time give SRX some to recover. I love everybody at SRX. As the old saying goes, you will overcome and prevail.”
My comment on the @SRXracing pic.twitter.com/T7Qzzv7bL1
— Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace) January 11, 2024
SRX’s decision to press the pause button comes after three seasons of success. The fourth season was due to run for 6 weeks starting this July. In its statement to the public, SRX wrote, “Our expectations, however, have been tempered by market factors that have proven to be too much to overcome. Time has run out to put forth the kind of events our fans, partners, drivers, and tracks deserve.”
Though market conditions have been mentioned as the key factor for the move, the timing of the announcement strikes a strong coincidence with that of the IROC revival.
Is the hold on SRX because of IROC’s return after an 18-year hiatus?
The announcement from SRX comes four days after Ray Evernham, who co-founded the series and stepped away in 2022, announced that he was joining hands with Rob Kauffman to purchase the International Race of Champions (IROC) brand name. Evernham’s intention is to bring the historic IROC back to mainstream culture.
SRX was modeled after IROC’s legacy by bringing in top drivers from different racing disciplines such as NASCAR, IndyCar, and the NHRA. This is why IROC’s return could spell further trouble for SRX in the future.
Though it was speculated that IROC and SRX would go head-to-head over the coming seasons, the latest announcement does cast a hazy cloud on things. For now, 2024 will see one race from IROC and none from SRX.
